A regulatory inspection of a Lower East Side smoke shop allegedly led law enforcement to seize 13 pounds of crack /cocaine from on Friday.
Officers with the Sheriff’s Joint Task Force arrested the person who was behind the counter of the shop at 20 Clinton St. after making the find in the back of the shop.
Police Commissioner Edward Caban and New York City’s Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget G. Brennan announced the arrest of Mazen Tahhan, the shop clerk, whom law enforcement believes to be an employee, not the owner of the shop, after he was arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court over the weekend.
It is not routine for the special prosecutor to get involved in cannabis shop inspections. The special prosecutor’s stated mission is to pursue high-level narcotics trafficking organizations and distribution schemes.
Brennan, the agency head, said in a statement that the “case demonstrates the importance of collaborative efforts to address the proliferation of illegal cannabis shops,” adding the agency will continue to investigate whether cannabis shops are concealing narcotics.
“When unlicensed cannabis operators allegedly run afoul of the law, they pose a public safety and health risk to our communities and destabilize the legal industry,” said Caban. “The NYPD and our task force partners will continue using every resource available to enforce existing regulations and, most importantly, to protect New Yorkers from all manner of illicit drugs.”
Cops say Tahhan was the only person in the shop, which openly displayed packaging for cannabis products and paraphernalia in plain view.
As the officers entered an office space in the back of the store, they reported discovering a large quantity of alleged crack cocaine. The office also allegedly contained scales, and other narcotics packaging materials. Officers recovered the keys to the shop and $1,876 cash from Tahhan.
The Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor charged Tahhan with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the first and third degrees and criminally using drug paraphernalia in the second degree.
As the investigation continued, a NYPD field test identified the narcotics seized as cocaine. Tahhan was arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court on Aug. 10, where a judge set bail at $50,000 cash or $150,000 bond.
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